CBA products are available both in-branch and online via their online banking platform NetBank. FX Specialists for foreign transfers are on-line but you can speak to them on the phone, and in some cases you will have an account manager;

Commonwealth Bank exchange rates for foreign transfers are generally poor compared to using an FX specialist.

Commonwealth Bank exchange rates for travel money are comparable to those of the other Australian banks but you will, more likely than not, get less for your dollar than if you ordered your foreign currency and travel money online through providers such as Travelex.

Average to poor exchange rates need to be weighed up against convenience of using a familiar internet banking platform.

CBA Exchange Rates - Latest Rates

This table shows Commonwealth Bank exchange rates for foreign transfers and travel money. The percentages with the rates show how much margin the bank is charging compared to the market mid-rate. The table is updated hourly, for the latest comparison goto our comparison calculators for CBA Foreign Transfers and CBA Travel Money.

How does Commonwealth Bank Foreign Exchange Rates Compare?

The live tables below will give you an indication of how Commonwealth Bank Foreign Transfer exchange rates compare to an specialist FX provider.

Use the live foreign transfer exchange comparison table below to compare Commonwealth Bank exchange rates to the leading FX specialists. The table uses the scenario of a user wanting to send $AUD 10,000 abroad, note the margin refers to the difference to the current mid-rate. You can change the currencies and send or receive amount with our full CBA foreign transfers calculator.

Note we do not compare every single provider in the market, we compare a selection of established, reputable foreign exchange providers & banks who are regulated in Australia by ASIC. We may receive referral fees if you choose one of these providers however this will not affect the exchange rates or fees you are charged.

Rate snapshot: 02/22/2019

Sending $AUD 10K with CBA vs FX Providers

At the time of writing (16/04/18), the exchange rate margin that CBA was showing for Foreign Transfers was 5.26%. The margin indicates the amount above the mid-rate (i.e. the rate at which the banks interchange with each other). The cheapest alternative for Foreign Transfers (OFX) at the time of writing was showing a margin of 1.52%, meaning if you had changed $10,000 for EUR with OFX, you would have received EUR236 more than if you had made the exchange with CBA.

So, what about the other Commonwealth bank exchange rates services? Are they so much better that it makes the higher cost of transfer worth while? The key benefit that CBA offers to existing customers, is the knowledge that you are transferring with a familiar brand. They already have all your details so there will be no need to complete any additional forms or undergo any further customer verification or security checks. With that in mind, if you are making a one-off international money transfer, where the amount to be exchanged is sufficiently low for the difference in cost to be acceptable to you, then going with Commonwealth bank exchange rates services could be the way to go for you.

If, however, you will be making regular international money transfers, then securing the lowest exchange rate, will be more critical. The FX specialists that we list on our site are registered and regulated organisations with a strong history of servicing the Foreign transfer and Travel money market.

The below live CBA Travel Money comparison table shows how much you could save on your next travel money purchase. The table uses the scenario of a user wanting to change $AUD 2,000 for Euros. Note the margins for the bank and brokers are compared to the current mid-rate. You can change the currencies and send or receive amount with our full CBA travel money calculator.

Note we do not compare every single provider in the market, we compare a selection of established, reputable foreign exchange providers & banks who are regulated in Australia by ASIC. We may receive referral fees if you choose one of these providers however this will not affect the exchange rates or fees you are charged.

Rate snapshot: 02/22/2019

Changing $AUD 2K with CBA vs Ordering Online

If you already bank with CBA, you’ve probably already taken a look at the currency related products and services they have to offer such as – Travel Money (cash), Travel Cards, and International Money Transfers (IMT). Below we explain these different options to help you choose which particular product/service would best suit your needs. Firstly, it’s important to understand that the exchange rate will depend on a few factors, namely:

The currency you need

Transaction type – whether you wish to buy or sell the currency

The product you’re after – Travel Money, a Travel Card or International money transfer

Which Exchange Rate applies to you?

The exchange rate that applies to you is determined by the product you opt for. For example, let’s assume you are travelling to the UK and therefore want to buy some British pounds (GBP) in preparation for your trip. Looking at the example Exchange Rate table above, you would refer to the Get Foreign Cash or load Travel Money Card column, which shows the exchange rate you will get from CBA if you ordered online (i.e. buy GBP) as 0.5544 for 1AUD.

However, if you had just returned from the UK and were looking to change your GBP back to AUD (i.e. Sell your GBP), you would refer to the Change Foreign Cash or Unload Travel Money Card exchange rate, which offers a different exchange rate of 0.6203 in exchange for 1AUD. Make certain you are using the right column for Buying and Selling, as the currency rates do vary for each.

The euro is the sole currency of 19 EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Note some exceptions in Europe are the nordic states such as Denmark, Sweden and Norway that have their own version of kroner.

Calculating your foreign exchange conversion amounts

Once you’ve selected your product with the right currency, you can work our your exchange rate from the table. Make sure you use the most current table for the latest rates as the above is only a snapshot in time. The general rule of thumb for calculating is:

convert AUD into foreign currency by multiplying by the rate

convert foreign currency into AUD by dividing by the rate

Remember that you will also need to add on any fees that the bank charges as the conversion amount is usually exclusive of this.

Compare Commonwealth Bank exchange rates with other FX specialists

Finally, it’s worth shopping around for the best exchange rate especially if you are travelling for an extended period or exchanging over AUD1000. There are a multitude of specialist FX organisations that often offer significant savings on your currency exchange.

I love the way that Com bank screws everything and everyone associated with it. The passive aggressive phone tress – the surprise shockers, the intrusive Netbank bullshit.

I’m trying to relocate back to NZ – I transferred $500 + $22 AUD up front fee from Com bank to my NZ bank account. I got $500.32 in my NZ bank account. WTF com bank? So the $22 was a fee, and the intra bank flat fee from ANZ – for the foreign exchange was $30 fee that was taken out of the inital AUD $500, so I was moving $470 – and the $500.32 was the result. NZ bank didn’t charge anything or created any dramas it was just a deposit.

Com bank like to think they are “customer service” orientated. They give you stupid millennials that have no customer service skills and a computer screen as their banking service. They are the worst bank I’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with. Go anywhere but Com bank.

Exchange rates from the CBA is what its call highway robbery !!It is disgraceful an appealing that the CBA can get away with those exchange rates !!I will exit this institution as soon as I get back from my holiday trip to Europe in June.

CBA Is no worse than all the other retail banks who are equally woeful on margin. Considering there is no cash involved for travel cards for example, 6%+ on all of them is dreadful. Oz Forex (Macquarie) @ 3% kicks their backside and best of all the rates are intra-day, on-demand. Been watching CAD for last 10 days off the Xmas bottom and consistently getting up to 3 big figures better with Oz over the retails e.g. 0.936251 in the last hour versus 0.9074, that’s $30 per $1000 and its better off in your pocket!

Very Unhappy. The focus is as usual on profit, do it yourself and pay a transfer fee as well as enjoying a poor exchange rate.Transferring money to NZ – NZ$1200 cost me AUD $1212.86 at a rate of 0.9894 + AUD $22.00 transfer fee. The Ausforex rate was 1.0384. That’s who I will be using in future.Not sure how this rating system works? is the first button good or bad?

Terrible rates especially reconverting foreign currency (US dollars) back to Aust dollars. Current official exchange rate is apprx $1.03, CBA buy back at $1.0819, over 5 cents in every dollar and that is after selling at apprx $0.99. They are making about 7% if you buy from and sell back to CBA. Utterly outrageous@!!!

I don’t agree with the some of the below comments, well at least not for Indian Rupee. I use CBA to send money home to India and the rate is much better than the other banks…generally with a margin of just over 1% which is pretty good.

The foreign exchange rates and products compared on this page and website are chosen from a range of products that bestexchangerates.com (BER) has access to and are not
representative of all the products available in the market. The use of terms "Best" and "Top" are not product ratings and are subject to our disclaimer.
You should consider seeking independent financial advice and consider your personal financial circumstances when comparing products.
We may receive referral fees in relation to your activity on the BER website however this doesn't affect the exchange rates or fees you are charged.